Marvel Phase 4
Thor 4, Eternals, Doctor Strange 2, Canadian Shang-Chi, Blade reboot and more announced
In the lead up to Avengers: Endgame, Marvel has kept its Phase 4 slate of films a closelyguarded secret. That all changed Saturday night at Comic-Con International, an annual five-day fan convention in San Diego that draws over 130,000 people from around the world.
Fresh off the news that Endgame has now become the highest-grossing film of all time, Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige announced its next storytelling arc will feature interconnected films as well as shows that will air on Disney+, Disney’s upcoming streaming service set to launch later this year.
In 2020, Marvel will release two standalone films. First up will be Scarlett Johansson headlining a Black Widow prequel film that will kick off the summer on May 1, 2020. That entry will be directed by Cate Shortland and co-star Midsommar’s Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz and Stranger Things’ David Harbour.
Later next year, Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek, Brian Tyree Henry and Richard Madden will star in The Eternals, which centres on a group of nearimmortal cosmic beings. It will open Nov. 6.
Then in 2021, Marvel will debut an Asian superhero in its cinematic universe with ShangChi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. That film features Kim’s Convenience star Simu Liu as the titular hero. Awkwafina will also star in an unspecified role. Destin Daniel Cretton is set to direct from a script by Wonder Woman 1984 scribe Dave Callaham. That film opens Feb. 12, 2021.
Marvel’s “first scary film” follows on May 7, 2021, when the Master of the Mystic Arts returns in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Benedict Cumberbatch will once again don the Cloak of Levitation with Scott Derrickson directing. Elizabeth Olsen will be joining the film as Scarlett Witch.
“It’s gonna be PG-13 and you’re going to like it!” joked Feige.
Natalie Portman is also making a return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it’s not going to be as a love interest this time. The third Marvel film set for 2021 is Thor: Love and Thunder, with Portman set to play a female god of thunder. Taika Waititi will write and direct with original Thor star Chris Hemsworth costarring. Thor: Ragnarok scenestealer Tessa Thompson will also return as Valkyrie. Love and Thunder opens Nov. 5, 2021.
Elsewhere in the presentation, Feige touted a new version of Blade, with Oscar winner Mahershala Ali playing the half-human, half-vampire hero. Captain Marvel 2, Black Panther 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will all start hitting theatres sometime after 2021, along with a new Fantastic Four and a rebooted X-Men.
In an interview with the Sun earlier this year, Feige said the next decade of Marvel films will surprise fans.
“One of the most exciting things about what’s coming up next is being able to continue to subvert expectations for what a Marvel Studios movie can be.”
But part of Marvel’s strategy going forward includes shows scripted for Disney+ with storylines that will overtly influence what fans will see on the big screen.
Tom Hiddleston will revive his villainous role as Loki (spring 2021). Olsen will reprise her Scarlett Witch hero in WandaVision (spring 2021), a series which, Deadline reports, impacts the events of The Multiverse of Madness. Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan will return as the title characters in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (fall 2020). And Jeremy Renner will be back as Hawkeye (fall 2021) in a series that sees him battling alongside Kate Bishop, who in the comics is one of the Young Avengers and eventually takes the Hawkeye mantle.
The animated series What If … ? (summer 2021) will examine pivotal moments from the MCU and hypothetical outcomes if our favourite heroes had made different decisions. The voice cast includes Jeffrey Wright as the Watcher, as well as Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Josh Brolin (Thanos), Michael B. Jordan (Erik Killmonger), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk) and many more.